Cancer – Alcohol Toxicity

Research indicates that drinking as low as one drink per day increases an individual’s risk of developing several different types of cancers. The types of cancer most strongly associated with alcohol consumption include the following:

Breast
Colon
Rectum
Mouth
Pharynx
Larynx
Esophagus
Liver

How Alcohol Can Lead to Cancer

An infographic saying "One way alcohol causes cancer. ethanol (alcohol). ADH is an enzyme that converts ethanol into acetaldehyde. If a small amount of alcohol is drunk... the body can process it, so that it passes through without doing much damage. If a large amount of alcohol is drunk, the body can't process it fast enough, so there's a build up of acetaldehyde. This is toxic and causes DNA damage. ALDH is an enzyme that converts acetaldehyde into acetate. People with mistakes in the genetic code of ALDH can't break acetaldehyde down - they are more prone to certain cancers. Mistakes in ALDH are common among Asian populations. Acetaldehyde can cause: Mistakes in DNA, chromosome rearrangements, DNA to bind and form clumps. " — Credit

The consumption of any type of alcoholic beverage can increase the risk of developing cancer. It is through the production of metabolites during metabolism that we see problems occur.

Acetaldehyde is one of the products that is formed during alcohol metabolism. Although it can be further metabolized by ALDH and excreted, acetaldehyde can cause its share of issues within the body. One of the things that it does is cause damage to our cell’s DNA and inhibit the ability of these cells to repair said damage. When DNA becomes damaged, it can acquire the ability to replicate without control from our body therefore evading cell replication mechanisms put in place. When cells begin to divide out of control, we can see tumour formation and eventually the production of cancerous tumours.

Another way that alcohol can increase the risk of cancer development is through the production of reactive oxygen species. As ethanol is processed and broken down, these damaging species are released into the body. In addition to causing DNA damage, reactive oxygen species can also damage fat and protein content in the body through the dangerous process of oxidation.

We also see the decreased absorption and availability of several vitamins and nutrients that our body needs to fight off cancer. This decrease is a result of alcohol related malnutrition.

Increased Risks

Although we are not able to say alcohol causes cancer, research has given us insight into the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of developing various forms of cancer. Below are some examples of the cancer risks associated with alcohol:

-Moderate drinking increases the risk of developing mouth and pharynx cancer 1.8x the risk of non drinkers and larynx cancer 1.4x increased risk.

-Heavy drinking increases the risk of developing mouth and pharynx cancer 5x and larynx cancer 2.6x the risk compared to those who do not consume alcohol.

-The risk of liver cancer development is two fold higher in heavy drinkers than those who do not drink.

-There is 1.3x the risk of developing esophagus cancer in moderate drinkers and 5x the risk in heavy drinkers.

-The risk of developing colon, rectum and breast cancer is increased 1.5x by consuming 3.5 beverages a day.

Ceasing to consume alcohol can decrease the risk of developing cancer eventually but it will take quite some time for the increased risk to get back down to normal after the cessation of heavy alcohol consumption.